1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the construction of a cycle that is designed to carry cargo such as groceries, boxes, bags, passengers, etc. The cycle could be a bicycle, motorcycle, scooter, etc. Regular bicycles or motorcycles are designed around the rider and do not easily facilitate the carrying of bulky cargo. There are a few bicycles that are designed specifically to carry cargo and these are loosely referred to as cargo bicycles.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
I have found that existing cargo bicycles do not have a good combination of short wheelbase and a good location to carry cargo. Most cargo bicycles are of a standard bicycle configuration and merely have cargo areas in front of the handlebars or in back of the rider.
The cargo bikes that have a cargo area in front of the handlebars have the disadvantage of carrying their load too far forward and can tip forward when fully loaded. The cargo area has to be attached to either the frame or steering assembly. If it is attached to the steering, the steering is very heavy when loaded with cargo. The other solution is to extend the frame in front of the steering assembly, but this puts more weight in an undesirable location.
A few cargo bikes have a long wheelbase with a cargo area in between the rider and the front wheel. This location of the cargo area is better for weight distribution. The major disadvantage of a long wheelbase is that the maneuverability is greatly reduced. The long wheelbase is slow to react to steering inputs and requires exaggerated turning of the handlebars. The minimum turning radius is also increased and makes it difficult to maneuver in tight quarters.
Another configuration is to relocate the handlebars toward the rear of the bike. This allows the cargo area to be above the frame head tube. The frame head tube is the tube that holds the fork bearings for rotatably mounting a front fork. The head tube must be on the order of 5 inches (125 millimeters) long in order to position the fork bearings to resist front to back bending loads on the fork. Therefore the cargo area has to be positioned more than 6 inches (150 millimeters) above the front wheel. This location produces a high center of gravity when loaded with cargo. This makes the bike prone to tipping over and difficult to maneuver. It is also difficult to load and unload cargo when it is high off of the ground.
Motorcycle designs have the same drawbacks as conventional bicycles when it comes to carrying cargo. The rider position and handlebars are roughly in similar positions.
Thus, there is lacking, inter alia, a cargo cycle design that has both a short wheelbase and locates the cargo area in good location for weight distribution.
List of Reference Numerals in Drawings:1.main frame assembly2.steerer assembly3.fork assembly4.left pushrod5.right pushrod10.frame steerer tube11.frame platform area12.frame fork pivot20.steerer tube21.left steerer arm22.right steerer arm30.fork31.left fork arm32.right fork arm